The initial juxtaposition of Jesus and Brian set up the film as a parody of Jesus’s life being told through the life of Brian. It helps the viewer to understand that, while Brian is not Jesus, their lives can be accidentally, and easily, confused. Using Brian’s life to explore Jesus’s life is a way to make accusations about Jesus’s life, without really offending anyone. Through satire the Monty Python troupe causes people to unknowingly rethink about their views of Jesus as a human being. Seeing how Brian was accidentally pushed into the position of “Messiah” it is easy to understand how Jesus could have been pushed into a similar position. It was also interesting, for me, to see how simple accidents and coincident, can be misconstrued as miracles. This is seen when Brian falls on the man who has taken a vow of silence and causes him to cry out in alarm, and when the berry bush is growing in the dessert. Could Jesus’s “miracles” have been merely accidents, or were they actually miracles, this is the kind of question “Life of Brian” wants you to ask yourself.
The film also offers a satirical look into life in first century Palestine. Jewish legalism is one of the more hilarious ones. When a person says the name of Jehovah, they must be stoned, almost immediately. This leads to the stoning of a temple official, after he declares that the man is being stoned for uttering the name of Jehovah. The Jewish concept of the Messiah comes into play when Brian is assumed to be the messiah. People claim that they have followed quite a few messiahs, and are going to follow Brian as well. This shows that the Jewish people were looking for the messiah everywhere, and following anyone. This is a concept not much recognized in modern America because times are not as bad, and people are looking for worldly answers to their problems, instead of help from above.
The film also offers a satirical look into life in first century Palestine. Jewish legalism is one of the more hilarious ones. When a person says the name of Jehovah, they must be stoned, almost immediately. This leads to the stoning of a temple official, after he declares that the man is being stoned for uttering the name of Jehovah. The Jewish concept of the Messiah comes into play when Brian is assumed to be the messiah. People claim that they have followed quite a few messiahs, and are going to follow Brian as well. This shows that the Jewish people were looking for the messiah everywhere, and following anyone. This is a concept not much recognized in modern America because times are not as bad, and people are looking for worldly answers to their problems, instead of help from above.
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